Journal wrong to publish defaced poster slogans
Dear Editors,
Re: “Tight lips sink ships, too” (Journal, Feb. 8, 2008), “More defaced posters found” (Journal, Feb. 12, 2008)
With last week’s editorial and Feb. 12’s “More defaced posters found,” it has become clear to me that the Journal cares about nothing more than gross sensationalism. When not provided with the racist messages from the istration, the Journal found it fit to seek out these messages and display a photo of them in the paper.
What purpose does this serve? It seems to me it does nothing but fulfill a childish need for gossip. It doesn’t matter what the racist slogans were, it only matters that they exist. By going through the effort to present these slogans to the public, the Journal has done nothing but give undeserved notoriety to the writer of the message and has proven to me that sensationalism matters over content. You have lost my readership.
Ian Watson
ArtSci ’09
Clarifiying Muslim courtship
Dear Editors,
Re: “Faith in the bedroom” (Journal, Feb. 12, 2008)
I would like to start by thanking the Journal for publishing a wonderful piece on intimate relationships and religion, something that has commonly been thought to be a taboo. Unfortunately, I felt I may have misrepresented myself during the interview and would like an opportunity to clarify some of the points I have made. On the topic of dating, one must understand that when discussing Islam there are many cultural practices Muslims use for courtship, which is why I stated it depends on one’s definition of “dating.” All of these customs follow the simple rule that if it leads to pre-marital sex then it’s prohibited in Islam.
Also, in of marriage, what I should have said is that it’s permissible, not encouraged, for me to marry people from other monotheistic faiths because we share the common value and love for the divine. I personally opt to marry a fellow Muslim because we would also share similar values and experiences.
I want to apologize to the Journal and its readers for giving the wrong impression about the Muslim community and myself, and I hope the Journal keeps up its excellent work on covering issues important to all students.
Ishraq Alim
Queen’s University Muslim Students’ Association Chair
MSc ’08
Article paints white students as racist
Dear Editors,
Re: “More defaced posters found” (Journal, Feb. 12, 2008) Since this article was printed, Kingston Police apprehended a 32-year old, und with Queen’s, who has been charged with the vandalism.
At the time of this article’s printing, that wasn’t known, so I’m writing because this article embodies the style and wording synonymous with the Journal’s biased editorializing, and furthers the misconception that every “white” person on campus is racist. Specifically, the Journal’s fetish term, “culture of whiteness,” is brought up once again, which promotes the double standard at Queen’s that it’s OK to racially profile as long as the victim is “white.” Let me remind those who subscribe to this ridiculous notion that the term “culture of whiteness” was coined in the 2006 Henry Report on faculty and staff at Queen’s. This derogatory term has no place describing a student body that has a higher percentage of visible minorities than the Canadian population.
Now that a non-Queen’s suspect has been identified, perhaps the Journal can stop its accusations and the student body can begin to work constructively to combat issues of “race” on campus. It’s a good opportunity to reflect on this recent wave of hysteria surrounding racism and how accusatory many student groups have been. The Journal’s response to the appalling racist act on Nov. 14, 2007 was to publish a supplementary piece, which suggested those at fault were seeking refuge within their “fraternal” engineering faculty. Nothing will be accomplished by vilifying a particular demographic or faculty.
The Social Issues Commission’s perception that “everyday racism” is prevalent on campus, and jokes, thoughts and accidental PC slip-ups are all racist in intent, inhibits open discussion of the issues at hand and limits open-mindedness between different groups.
I like the article’s message of discouraging silence on these issues, but this is a response to an overarching problem plaguing social activism on this campus. We can overcome racism at Queen’s, but only through meaningful, open discussion, free of accusations and prejudice.
Kevin Thompson, ArtSci ’09
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